Endogenous depression represents a severe mental health condition projected to become one of the worldwide leading causes of years lived with disability. The currently available clinical and non-clinical interventions designed to alleviate endogenous depression-associated symptoms encounter a series of inconveniences, from the lack of intervention effectiveness and medication adherence to unpleasant side effects. In addition, depressive individuals tend to be more frequent users of primary care units, which markedly affects the overall treatment costs. In parallel with the growing incidence of endogenous depression, researchers in sleep science have discovered multiple links between rapid eye movement (REM) sleep patterns and endogenous depression. Recent findings suggest that prolonged periods of REM sleep are associated with different psychiatric disorders, including endogenous depression. In addition, a growing body of experimental work confidently describes REM sleep deprivation (REM-D) as the underlying mechanism of most pharmaceutical antidepressants, proving its utility as either an independent or adjuvant approach to alleviating the symptoms of endogenous depression. In this regard, REM-D is currently being explored for its potential value as a sleep intervention-based method for improving the clinical management of endogenous depression. Therefore, this narrative review represents a comprehensive inventory of the currently available evidence supporting the potential use of REM-D as a reliable, non-pharmaceutical approach for treating endogenous depression, or as an adjuvant practice that could improve the effectiveness of currently used medication.

On 24 February 2022, the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine, starting a military conflict that soon turned into a full-scale war. The Romanians have been actively involved in helping their neighbors, causing the accumulation of emotional and mental pressure upon the Romanian population exposed to such a close military conflict. This cross-sectional study assessed, through an online survey (1586 adult Romanian residents), the primary coping mechanisms, quality of life and anxiety levels in response to the psychological trauma associated with the Russo—Ukrainian war. Based on the results, focusing on and venting emotions along with behavioral disengagement were the coping strategies that had the strongest negative impact on anxiety and well-being. On the other hand, positive reinterpretation and growth were associated with less anxiety, a higher degree of overall health and better quality of life. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to be performed among the Romanian population so far. Thus, we equip mental health practitioners with the tools (real-life evidence data) that will allow them to establish a more meaningful doctor—patient relationship, maximizing therapy results.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a leading cause of death globally, with a significant impact on public health and quality of life. In addition to traditional risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and hypercholesterolemia, a growing body of scientific evidence suggests the crucial role of psychosocial factors, including personality, in the development and prognosis of CVDs. In recent decades, researchers have focused on the so-called “type D personality.” Methods: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a literature search was conducted using the PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane databases. Fifteen studies were included in the final quantitative analysis, involving 5687 people. The qualitative assessment of the studies included in this meta-analysis was conducted adopting the Quality System Tool. Results: Several studies have shown a significant correlation between type D personality and an increased risk of CVDs, as well as a worse prognosis in patients with established CVDs. The overall quality of the studies included in this synthesis ranged from 0.70 to 0.96, indicating the general good quality levels of the studies (69%). The association between type D personality and CVDs in terms of prevalence underlined a raw proportion of 0.36. Conclusions: This study reinforces the significance of type D personality as a psychological risk factor for CVD, with implications for both disease prevalence and severity.

Objective: This meta-analysis aimed to examine the bidirectional association between PTSD and cardiovascular disease (CVD) by evaluating the following: (1) the risk of increased CVD incidence in individuals with PTSD; and (2) the prevalence of PTSD in patients with cardiovascular disease. Methods: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a literature search was conducted of the PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science databases without using a temporal publication range. For the PTSD-to-CVD direction, 18 studies were combined. For the CVD-to-PTSD direction, 11 studies that ascertained the incidence or prevalence of PTSD following a CVD event were combined. Results: The findings confirm the bidirectional and clinically significant relationship between CVD and PTSD. Conclusions: These data underscore the need to integrate trauma-informed approaches into cardiovascular care and stress management into psychiatric treatment to stop this pathological cycle.

The expression of inflamma-miRs and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes could indicate mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We used international databases to conduct a systematic review of studies on HLA variants and a meta-analysis of research on microRNAs (miRNAs). We aimed to analyze the discriminative value of HLA variants and miRNAs in MCI, AD and controls to evaluate the protective or causative effect of HLA in cognitive decline, establish the role of miRNAs as biomarkers for the early detection of AD, and find a possible link between miRNAs and HLA. Statistical analysis was conducted using Comprehensive Meta-analysis software, version 2.2.050 (Biostat Inc., Englewood, NJ, USA). The effect sizes were estimated by the logarithm base 2 of the fold change. The systematic review revealed that some HLA variants, such as HLA-B*4402, HLA-A*33:01, HLA-A*33:01, HLA-DPB1, HLA-DR15, HLA-DQB1*03:03, HLA-DQB1*06:01, HLA-DQB1*03:01, SNPs on HLA-DRB1/DQB1, and HLA-DQA1, predisposed to cognitive decline before the occurrence of AD, while HLA-A1*01, HLA-DRB1∗13:02, HLA-DRB1*04:04, and HLA-DRB1*04:01 demonstrated a protective role. The meta-analysis identified let-7 and miR-15/16 as biomarkers for the early detection of AD. The association between these two miRNA families and the HLA variants that predispose to AD could be used for the early screening and prevention of MCI.

Insight is a multidimensional construct, defined as the awareness of having a mental disorder, of specific symptoms and their attribution to the disorder, the awareness of social consequences, and of need for treatment. Although insight has been studied specifically in schizophrenia and its study in mood disorders has traditionally received limited attention, the evaluation of this concept in mood disorders is also very important because of the impact on treatment compliance and outcome. In bipolar disorder (BD), clinical insight varies substantially over time. Most researchers observed that insight is more impaired during an illness episode than during remission, in mixed than in pure manic episodes, in bipolar II than in bipolar I patients, and in pure mania than in bipolar or unipolar depression. Lack of insight is a consistent factor of non-adherence to medication in bipolar patients, along with severity of BD, side effects of medication, effectiveness, and patient-related factors. Also, impaired insight into treatment and a great number of previous hospitalizations are associated with poorer clinical outcomes (psychiatric hospitalization, emergency room visits, violent or suicidal behavior) among the patients with bipolar I disorder. In the management of bipolar disorder, improving quality of life (QoL) and outcome should be one the most important goals.